Chapter 11
I looked frantically around at the chaos.
What is going on?
"Clara?" A voice said urgently from behind me.
Edmund. Of course, he would come and save me. My reluctant knight in rusty armor. How brave.
"Edmund! What are you doing here?" I asked, and immediately bit my tongue.
"If you want me to go back, I will…" He said with a smirk.
"No!"
"I thought not. Now come ON." He said impatiently.
"Wait! I have to make sure Favian's alright!"
"Who's Favian?"
"He's a dwarf that the wolves held captive."
"Good riddance! Dwarfs are traitors!"
Like you?
I arched an eyebrow.
He had the decency to look ashamed.
I turned and went to the cave only to find a wolf snarling and snapping at the poor dwarf.
Edmund was right behind me, and I backed into him.
"Oof."
"Be quiet!" I hissed.
He raised his hands in defeat.
Slowly I creped toward the wolf. Just as I was about to stab him with my dagger, which I retrieved, he whirled around snarling. Frantically, I pierced his face in between his eyes.
By then Edmund was at my side, he impaled his side causing blood to cling to his sword like shiny crimson paint.
Favian gasped in awe and said "You two are an amazing team!"
Edmund and I shared a look of horror.
"Right….let's go." I said.
We walked out of the cave and came to a few horses.
"Where's Flisha?" Edmund asked.
"She's….she died."
"How?" Edmund asked quietly.
"The wolves."
He left it at that, although my conscience was pricking me.
I'll tell them at once, so I don't have to repeat it.
Favian was having trouble mounting his horse.
"It looks like the horse will lead him." Edmund muttered as he helped the dwarf on the horse.
"I heard that, laddie."
I snorted, earning myself an odd look from Favian and a glare from Edmund.
"So, how are all you?"
"Well…let us see. Peter was panicking because his right arm up and left. Susan and Lucy cried for two days straight and were sure 'that she has been eaten by some wild beast'"
"And you?"
"I was bored, I needed to something to do. I don't know the meaning of the word fear."
"But then again, you don't know the meaning of most words." With that I rode on ahead to speak with Favian.
Cair Paravel appeared in the distance, making me urge my horse faster.
As we approached the outer court yard, Peter and the others ran standing about looking apprehensive.
"CLARA!!" Lucy yelled excitedly. "Do you think she heard me?"
"I think the whole kingdom heard you, Lucy." Susan scolded, but smiling.
I smiled and waved, next to me Edmund was sitting on his saddle looking like he wished he had never rescued me and Favian was gazing around in awe.
I jumped off my horse and was instantly smothered by Lucy's giant bear hug. (Not that I minded.)
I squeezed her in response, and fell into the tight hug of Susan.
"Oh Clara, don't you ever do that to us again!" She said.
"I'll try ma'am."
Lucy noticed Favian and immediately started fussing over his wounds.
Meanwhile, Peter was telling me about all things on which he needed my opinion.
"….And Archenland sent representatives to discuss becoming allies."
"What did you say?" I asked.
"I said I'd think about it."
"What's there to think about?!?"
"I didn't know!"
"Oh, and Oreius didn't advise you?" It came out as a statement rather than a question.
"I didn't ask."
I lifted my eyes upward to offer a silent plea for patience.
"I told him he should, but did he listen to me?" Edmund said from his horse.
"Ed…." Susan said annoyed.
"Stop it all of you!" Lucy almost shouted.
A tense hush swept through everyone.
"Well, let's you get you settled in again shall we?" Susan said, finally breaking the stillness.
In silence, we all followed Susan into the castle; and sat down in the great dining hall.
"So, how did you figure out my note?" I asked.
"Mountakaber was there, he knew what it said; so I'm assuming he just told you." Favian said.
"Actually…Mountakaber wasn't much of a help…" Peter trailed off.
"What he means is: the bird fainted right as Oreius ushered him to the grand hall." Edmund said bluntly.
Favian just sighed hopelessly.
"So, how'd you figure it out?" I asked.
"Well…….."
*Flashback*
Two weeks after Clara disappeared
"Cheer up Lucy, please?"
"I can't, Peter. She could be dead. And we'd never know." Lucy ended with a small sniff.
"Clara's smarter than that. She wouldn't go and get herself killed."
"But you don't know that!"
"Well, we could send out a search party for her again." Peter suggested.
"If she was anywhere, they would've found her by now. I think it's time we all accepted the fact that she's gone." Edmund said unfeelingly.
Susan and Lucy gasped in horror.
"No! She's NOT dead. I won't believe it I won't!"
With that Lucy ran from the room in tears, a sight which wasn't uncommon nowadays.
Peter shot a death look at Edmund.
"By all means, send out another worthless search party. See if I care." Edmund said with a mock bow.
Susan, by that time, was now extremely fed up with both her brothers.
"Stop it! Just stop it! You're behaving like….like…" She let out a frustrated sound and glided out of the room.
The next day
Oreius looked up at the sky.
"The Queens are going to have to postpone their outing. It looks like a thunderstorm."
Just then a bird caught the centaur's eye.
It landed, and then started preening itself.
'Most curious' Oreius thought.
"Excuse me, can I help you?"
"I…I…Clara….."
"Did you say Clara?"
The bird fainted, but he had a note clutched in his talons.
He went over and picked up the bird, and proceeded into the Grand hall.
The Kings and Queens were just about to go outside, when Lucy asked what Oreius was holding.
"It appears to be a bird, Your Majesty."
Susan went over to the bird which the centaur had laid on the marble floor and pried the note out of his claws.
"What does it say?" Peter asked.
"010…..00110 01101….111 011…..10010 0110…..0101 011…..10011 011………10100 0010………..1110. It's just a bunch of nonsense." Susan said quite provoked.
Edmund grabbed it out Susan's hands, scanned it, and said "Complete rubbish."
"May I see that, Your Majesty?" Oreius asked.
Edmund handed the parchment to the centaur.
"It's binary, you see, the numbers spell out letters. I believe it says 'Forest, Cave. Wolves, 3, Fine, GOTT.'"
"GOTT?" Peter asked.
"I don't know."Edmund said.
Just then the bird woke up, and said "Guardian of the throne."
"CLARA!!!" Lucy cried joyfully.
*Flashback ends*
"And that's how we found you!" Susan said.
Edmund cleared his throat.
"If it wasn't for Mountakaber, you wouldn't know where the cave was."
Mountakaber looked immensely proud of himself.
"Don't puff him up, he doesn't need it." Clara said.
"Well, now that you're back, when are you leaving for Calormen with Edmund?" Peter asked brightly.
"WHAT!?!"
